Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is changing his jersey number.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is changing his jersey number.
Shedeur Sanders will look a little different next season for the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders is switching to No. 2 after wearing No. 12 as a rookie, the team announced Monday.
“S2,” the Browns posted. “Shedeur Sanders will wear number 2 next season.”
The move brings Sanders back to the number that’s defined his football identity. He wore No. 2 throughout high school and college — first at Jackson State and later at Colorado, where the program retired it following his two seasons in Boulder. It’s also central to his personal brand, reflected in his apparel line, 2Legendary.
Sanders also acknowledged the change, writing “#2” on X.
When Cleveland assigned jersey numbers to its 2025 rookie class, veteran receiver DeAndre Carter had already claimed No. 2 after signing in free agency. Sanders, however, took it in stride.
“Nah, I’m not trying to buy anything,” Sanders said at rookie minicamp when asked about purchasing the number. “My signing bonus ain’t that high right now.”
As a fifth-round pick, Sanders signed a $4.6 million rookie deal that included a $446,553 signing bonus — not exactly the type of money typically used to negotiate jersey swaps with veterans.
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Despite his draft position, Sanders quickly became one of the NFL’s most marketable rookies. He led all rookies in jersey sales in the month following the draft, according to Fanatics. By the start of the season, he ranked fifth league-wide in jersey sales, trailing only Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Josh Allen. Expect another surge after the number swap.
On the field, Sanders showed flashes during his rookie campaign, starting the final seven games and going 3-4. He completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, adding 169 rushing yards and a score. Sanders was named a Pro Bowl replacement, likely in part because of the eyes he brings to just about everything he does.
Now, Sanders will look to win the starting job next season. The Browns have Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel under contract for next year.
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As it stands, the Browns quarterback battle appears to be a two-horse race between Watson and Sanders. The Browns have declined to publicly designate a front-runner, which general manager Andrew Berry reiterated this week at the NFL owners’ meetings.
“I’d say as we sit here on March 29, and nobody has touched the grass, nobody has really worked with our coaching staff, I wouldn’t handicap it for anyone,” Berry said.
Watson has appeared in just 19 games since coming over to Cleveland via a blockbuster trade in 2022. He missed all of last season recovering from a pair of Achilles surgeries. Last offseason, owner Jimmy Haslam called the move a “big swing and miss.” However, Haslam changed his tune while discussing Watson this year.
“There’s a lot of quarterbacks who either started, did not start well and take the Super Bowl (route), right? And what a great story that is for Sam Darnold,” he said. “Deshaun started great, and the year before we signed him, he was the second-best quarterback in the NFL. And then the suspension and the injuries and all that piled up, can he come back from that? He certainly had the ability at one point and we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Watson may hold the edge in experience and résumé, but if the Browns believe Sanders can develop into a legitimate starter, he offers a far more compelling long-term foundation to build around.